Job losses confirmed at Forests NSW as program axed

The Public Service Association says 17 jobs have already been cut from Forests New South Wales offices in the western region.

The union is meeting its members in Dubbo and Bathurst to explain how they'll be affected by the State Government's plans to corporatise the department.

The PSA's Assistant General Secretary, Shane O'Brien, says despite assurances no jobs would go, positions have already been axed in the Dubbo, Baradine and Forbes regions.

He says more cutbacks are likely.

"You're looking at a bit of a double whammy. It looks quite obvious that there's going to be significant job losses after corporatisation and you're probably going to find that the jobs left have a reduction in the overall salary package and take home pay for the people that are still there."

Mr O'Brien says there could be more bad news to come.

"That's what we know about now and the problem that we have is that the Minister made an announcement that there would be no impact on jobs and less than a month later the first 26 people are being shown the door.

So we're expecting now significant numbers lost across the state. What that means is almost exclusively job losses in country areas."

Forests New South Wales has confirmed 13 jobs are to be lost at the end of this month but that's due to the axing of a program, not the corporatisation process.

In a statement the CEO, Nick Roberts, says the corporation has not even been formed yet.

He says 13 people will be made excess because the white cypress non-commercial thinning program is ceasing.

Mr Roberts says that's because Environmental Trust funding for the program has run out and non-commercial thinning isn't compatible with a trading enterprise such as Forests New South Wales.